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Books in Life sciences

Evolution
Evolution
1st Edition
Volume 10
E. R. Trueman + 1 more
English
FROM THE GENERAL PREFACE: This multivolume work, The Mollusca, had its origins in the mid 1960s with the publication of two volumes entitled Physiology of Mollusca and edited by Wilbur and Yonge. In those volumes, 27 authors collaborated to summarize the status of the conventional topics of physiology as well as biochemistry, reproduction and development, and ecology. Within the past two decades, there has been a remarkable burgeoning of molluscan research generally and with it the development of new fields of investigation. During the same period, several excellent books on molluscs have appeared. However, they do not provide adequate information on the many recent advances or give the breadth of perspective of current knowledge of the phylum. Clearly, there was need for a larger work with a comprehensive treatment of major areas of molluscan research. The Mollusca, as a series of 12 volumes, attempts to fulfill this objective. Even here, practical considerations have meant that certain aspects of molluscan research have not been included.Each major area is treated by several authors, each reviewing his or her special field. The areas are structure and function, metabolic biochemistry, molecular biomechanics, environmental biochemistry, physiology, ecology, reproduction and development, neurobiology and behavior, and evolution. Throughout, the authors have given emphasis to recent advances and present status of molluscan biology. In so doing, directions of future research have become evident.The Mollusca is intended to serve several disciplines--zoology... biochemistry, physiology, and paleontology. It will prove useful to researchers and to all others with interests in molluscs.FROM THE PREFACE TO VOLUME 10: Recent events that have stimulated a great surge of investigation into the evolution of the Mollusca include the discovery of well-preserved microscopic molluscs at most levels of the Cambrian on five continents, the development of electron microscopy, the need to examine competing models of the early history of the phylum, new interest in interstitial fauna of littoral and near-littoral sands, and significant advances in our knowledge of shell ontogeny, construction, and evolution. It is timely that an up-to-date synthesis involving both paleontologists and zoologists should be published after a decade of such activity and advance when many of the long-held views on molluscan phylogeny have been overturned.This book deals with all molluscan classes except the Cephalopoda, which will be treated in Volume 12. The two books together provide an up-to-date introduction to the evolution of the Mollusca with adequate references to guide further work. They will be invaluable to specialists on molluscs, postgraduate research workers, and undergraduates with particular interests in this phylum. Authorities on the various molluscan groups were asked to express their views and to treat the subject as they wished; the book provides a valuable record of their opinions at this time.While the main groups are broadly and fully treated, focus has been narrowed toward a few selected minor groups of particular interest such as limpets, land snails, and the Anomalodesmata, in which recent work has been particularly significant.Because recent years have seen major revisions in classificatory terms, the editors have provided an outline classification into which the chapter topics fit.
Development of Anti-Asthma Drugs
1st Edition
Derek R. Buckle + 1 more
English
Development of Anti-Asthma Drugs reviews existing asthma treatments and novel approaches currently under investigation, in the context of their mode of action and clinical effectiveness, in the hope that this might lead to a greater understanding of the factors involved in the expression of the disease and, therefore, in the design of better drugs. It is planned based on the concept of the causes and treatment of asthma, This book is organized in three main parts. Part I deals with the nature of asthma, its pathological mechanisms, natural history and epidemiology. Part II discusses mediators associated with asthma including platelet-activating factor, leukotrienes and histamine. Part II covers pharmaceutical approaches in the development of anti-asthma drugs and includes sections on inhibitors of mediator release and competitive and functional antagonists. This book will be of interest to persons dealing with studies on anti-asthma drugs and those interested in pharmacological development.
Neglected Factors in Pharmacology and Neuroscience Research
Biopharmaceutics, Animal Characteristics, Maintenance, Testing Conditions
1st Edition
V. Claassen
J.P. Huston
English
Techniques in the Behavioral and Neural Sciences, Volume 12: Neglected Factors in Pharmacology and Neuroscience Research: Biopharmaceutics, Animal Characteristics, Maintenance, Testing Conditions can be used as reference in the improvement of test designs for biochemists and physiologists in the control of test conditions. The book is divided into five sections. The introduction deals with the uncertainty of animal characteristics and test conditions as hindrances to the development of general insight into biological regulatory mechanism. The first section discusses biopharmaceutics — the interaction of drugs when interacting with molecules or enzymes in sufficient concentration at a specific site of action. The second section reviews animal characteristics in terms of strain differences, sex differences, and changes during development and aging of the subject. The third section discusses the maintenance of experimental animals such as housing conditions, food composition, and water intake as these kinds of environmental factors may shape the phenotype and responsiveness of the experimental animal. The fourth section explains the testing conditions such as metabolic effects and drug interactions, anesthesia, stress, and even the effects on circadian rhythms. The last section is a discussion on the importance of experimental results. This section covers internal and external validities and statistical inference. The author concludes that the design of any experiment should include a power analysis so that reliable and valuable conclusions can follow. Biochemists, physiologists, pharmacokineticists, toxicologists, chemical researchers, and others for whom drugs are their main focus of study will find this book valuable.
Aspirin and the Salicylates
1st Edition
K. D. Rainsford
English
Aspirin and the Salicylates focuses principally on aspirin. Topics ranging from analytical chemistry and pediatric medicine, taxonomy and cartels, enzymology and toxicity, to renal functions and rheumatology are also included in this compilation. This book emphasizes that salicylates are polycompetent drugs that influence a large number and variety of biological processes. Their multifactorial actions, in relation to the known therapeutic and toxic effects are clearly described. This text likewise provides a refreshing multidisciplinary approach to aspirins that cover the whole extent from chemical to clinical aspects. This publication is a good reference for clinicians, pharmacists, and students intending to acquire general knowledge of the aspirin and salicylates.
Practical Machinery Management for Process Plants: Volume 3
Machinery Component Maintenance and Repair
2nd Edition
Heinz P. Bloch + 1 more
English
Includes information on pump baseplate installation and grouting, repair and maintenance of mechanical seals, metal stitching, and managing rotor repairs at outside shops.
Coastal Environments
An Introduction to the Physical, Ecological, and Cultural Systems of Coastlines
1st Edition
R. W.G. Carter
English
This original volume draws on the author's own research experiences in Ireland, Britain, France, Canada, and the United States to present a guide of coastal environments for applications of shoreline and environmental management. Topics include: long-term development of coasts, water supply and waste disposal, energy resources and coastal water management, coastal water management for recreation, coastal management of storm hazards, and managing world sea-level rise.
Neuropeptide Analogs, Conjugates, and Fragments
Methods in Neurosciences, Vol. 13
1st Edition
P. Michael Conn
English
Methods in Neurosciences, Volume 13: Neuropeptide Analogs, Conjugates, and Fragments covers the synthesis and characterization of peptide analogs, conjugates, and fragments, their use as ligands for receptors, and their role in the development and use of antisera. The book discusses techniques such as novel synthetic approaches; biotinylation; purification and characterization; radioligand techniques and assay development; use of agonists and antagonists; distinguishing receptor subtypes; conjugation to carrier proteins; antiidiotypic antibody development; and radiolabeling. Neuroscientists, biochemists, neurochemists, and pharmacologists will find the book useful.
Recent Developments in the Chemistry of Natural Phenolic Compounds
Proceedings of the Plant Phenolics Group Symposium
1st Edition
W. D. Ollis
English
Recent Development in the Chemistry of Natural Phenolic Compounds covers the proceedings of the Third Plant Phenolics Group Symposium, held in April 1960. This symposium brings together important and interesting developments in the chemistry of naturally occurring phenolic compounds. This book is divided into 12 chapters that specifically concern with the biosynthesis and the determination of the structure of phenolic natural products. The first three chapters discuss the various aspects of biosynthesis and the structural and biogenetic relationships among a large number of natural products. These chapters also consider the biosynthesis of flavonoids, with particular reference to the isoflavones. The succeeding chapter highlights the variety of structures shown by phenolic compounds containing terpenoid substituents. Another chapter deals with the recent syntheses of various natural products by methods involving oxidative coupling of phenolic precursors. Other chapters are devoted to the relationship of phenolic precursors to natural biosynthetical routes. The rest of the book deals with structural investigations, which have led to the recognition of several classes of natural products. This book is of great value to organic chemists and researchers.
Phase and Caste Determination in Insects
Endocrine Aspects
1st Edition
Martin Lüscher
English
Phase and Caste Determination in Insects: Endocrine Aspects is a collection of papers presented at a Symposium of the Section Physiology and Biochemistry of the XV International Congress of Entomology, held in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Contributors explore the endocrine aspects of phase and caste differentiation in insects, with emphasis on the crucial roles of juvenile hormone (JH) and queen bee determinator. This book is comprised of 11 chapters and begins with a discussion on the role of JH in caste formation in honey bees, bumblebees, and termites. Subsequent chapters explore environmental, genetic, and endocrine influences in caste determination in the stingless bee; endocrine control over caste differentiation in higher termites and Myrmicine ants; the influence of external factors on hormone effects in termite caste determination; and the role of JH in the polymorphism of aphids. The final chapter deals with the regulation of aphid polymorphism by neurosecretory cells. This monograph will be a valuable resource for entomologists, endocrinologists, physiologists, and biochemists as well as insect enthusiasts.
The Physical Foundation of Biology
an Analytical Study
1st Edition
Walter M. Elsasser
English
The Physical Foundation of Biology: An Analytical Study offers a detailed account of the relationship between physics and biology. The discussion is based on a threefold development in theoretical science: the theory of automata (often designated as computers); the theory of information (mainly developed in communication engineering); and the theory of microscopic measurement in the atomic and molecular domain (based largely on quantum mechanics). This book is comprised of five chapters and begins with an overview of the physical foundation of biology, paying particular attention to preformationism and the theory of epigenesis. The first chapter explores feedback and control by comparing the control apparatus of a more differentiated organism, the nervous system, with the corresponding achievements of electronic engineering. The reader is then introduced to the theory of information, focusing on the idea that certain quantitative aspects of the information content of messages can be separated from the specific physical features of the device sending the message. The following chapters deal with the importance of storage or memory devices for a complex functional mechanism; the compatibility of biotonic laws with the ordinary laws of physics; and physical interpretation of the theory of microscopic processes. This monograph will be of interest to physicists, biologists, and chemists.

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